Last Saturday I was supposed to go to a Mexican-themed party where I was to bring enchiladas.  But I wasn’t able to make it.  Since I had all the ingredients, except the meat – I was going to use chicken – on hand already, decided I would make the enchiladas tonight with a product my friend Karen told me about a few weeks ago.  She has been using texturized vegetable protein {TVP} for a while now to make meatballs, shepherd’s pie, chili, moussaka; the list goes on.  This year-long Meatless Monday endeavor has been introducing me to new meat substitutes so I was interested in giving the TVP a try.  But I would by lying if I didn’t fess up and say I really doubted that anything needing reconstitution could possibly have a palatable taste and texture.  Once again my fears were proved wrong.  TVP is a dried product made from reduced-fat soy beans and comes in several forms: chunks, flakes and granules.  High in protein and fiber it contains no cholesterol and is a good source of potassium and amino acids.  Like tofu, it takes on the flavor of whatever you’re making so the enchiladas didn’t taste any different than usual.  And the texture? For this recipe I used Bob’s Red Mill granules and the texture was just like ground chicken or beef.   So if you are looking for a substitute for meat, especially when a recipe calls for ground meat, give TVP a try.  Here’s my recipe for the enchiladas.  Normally I’d make the sauce from scratch {people…don’t use the canned stuff, unless you like the tinny taste} but I really like Rick Bayless’ Frontera enchilada sauce which comes in a pouch.  Used the red variety here but the green chile sauce would be excellent.

TVP Chile Enchiladas
makes 8

¾ cup tvp granules
¾ cup minus 1 tbsp hot water
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, mineced
1 – 4 oz can diced green chiles
8 – 7″ corn tortillas
2 – 8 oz frontera enchilada sauce packets
1  – 4oz can sliced jalapeños
1 ½ cup mild cheddar, grated
1 ½ cup mozzarella, grated
1 cup cotija cheese, grated

In a bowl, combine the tvp and water.  Add  the cumin, paprika, chile powder and salt; stir and let stand. Preheat your oven to 350°. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is translucent.  Add the tvp mixture and green chiles.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Place the tortillas between two paper towels and heat in the microwave for 1 minute.  Pour some of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish – just enough so the tortillas don’t stick to the bottom.  To assemble the enchiladas, fill each tortilla in the middle with some of the tvp chile mixture, both cheeses and jalapeños.  Fold both sides of the tortilla over to cover the filling and place in the baking dish, fold sides down.  Cover with enchilada sauce and a sprinkling of the grated cotija.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Before serving, let the enchiladas rest for a few minutes.  Serve with your favorite sides: lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, cilantro, sour cream, fruity margarita.